Having gone through this life plan journey with my daughter, I want to encourage a million other families supporting a young person with additional needs to make a life plan with them.
But I know the first question people will ask is why should I bother? Because, in my opinion at least, the benefits are enormous to both them and to you. They will imagine more for themselves, which will make them strive for more for themselves. You will understand better what support they need from you to get where they want to be, and you will have greater peace of mind knowing that they have a plan for how their lives will look when you’re no longer able to support them.
Why a Life Plan?
Like many people, I’ve done ok without a detailed life plan. And honestly, until I started thinking seriously about how my daughter’s future would look, I never realized how valuable one can be. Over the years I’ve adapted to situations and been able to argue for what I’ve wanted. I’m not sure my daughter will find this easy to do, even as she gets older. So the solution is to put in place a life plan that ensures she never has to.
A life plan will create for her a clear direction of travel, not leave her on an unplanned journey where others might be able to put in roadblocks to stop her from living the life she wants to. I can already see the benefits of her having a life plan in her sense of self and of having a say in her future.
Our relationship with our children has to change over time and that’s one thing a life plan will help do. Often the expectations the world has for our children are limited and we are constantly advocating for them. I believe that having a life plan in place encourages our children to believe in themselves as we believe in them. I want to share what my family has learned on this journey with other families so more of our young people have the opportunity to live their life the way they want to.
Peace of Mind
Like many parents, I’ve spent a lot of time worrying about how the future of my daughter would look. Now she has a life plan I can honestly say I worry a lot less and have greater peace of mind because I know she has what she needs for when I’m no longer around. She has a life plan to guide her future.
I hope that through having a life plan in place for their young person, other families can feel this same peace of mind, knowing that it is crystal clear what is to happen in the future. This includes not only how their child will live their day-to-day life, but also who will provide any ongoing support and how that will be afforded.
I learned a lot from our journey, and that’s why I wrote, What’s Possible? Plan a better future for your young adult with additional needs. It shows you how to start making a life plan with your child.
Conclusion
Making a life plan with your young person will benefit you nearly as much as it will them. Their plan will ensure they can live a life with dignity, with a sense of purpose, with a community around them, and with the financial security to make all that possible. Also you feel more secure in the knowledge that they will be alright in the world without your everyday support.
That’s why one million life plans is just the start as far as I’m concerned. A life plan is one of the most valuable things we can ever give our children with additional needs.
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